Self-determination theory is a broad and widely applied theory of motivation, personality
development, and wellness. The theory began with a narrow focus on intrinsic motivation but
has expanded over time to encompass both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and spawned
new perspectives on well-being, life-goals, relationship quality, vitality and depletion, and
eudaimonia, among other topics. In this overview of SDT, we first discuss the value of broad
theory for psychological science. We then describe the strategy behind SDT's development�…